Post-Masters Advanced Clinical Certificate

Post-Masters Advanced Clinical Certificate

Advanced Trauma Informed Clinical Practice

Understanding the Theoretical Frameworks and Modalities with Real World Expectations within the Clinical Setting

Presenter: Jessica W. Weiss-Ford, PhD, LCSW

Jessica W. Weiss-Ford, MSW, LCSW has been working in the social work/mental health field for approximately 20 years.  Currently, Jessica is the Graduate Internship Coordinator and a School-Based Outpatient Therapist at T.W. Ponessa and Associates.  She provides individual outpatient therapy services directly in schools to adolescents ages 14 to 20 years old.  However, she has worked with ages 3-35 throughout her therapeutic experience.  While working with clients, Jessica utilizes various therapeutic tools and approaches to work on issues related to trauma, anger management, poor relationships, depression, anxiety, grief/loss, witnessing domestic violence, drug/alcohol issues, and school dynamics that cause emotional distress.  She also works with individuals with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities on social skills, relationship dynamics, and overall emotional regulation and understanding.  As the Graduate Internship Coordinator, along with administrative tasks, she assists in providing clinical supervision for MSW and other mental health interns through individual and group supervision.  Jessica is an adjunct professor for Millersville University’s School of Social Work department providing clinical and general supervision, along with classroom support to BSW and MSW students during their internship field placements.  She also has taught several times the MSW Advanced Practice Class.  Jessica has supervised clinicians/therapists, who wish to obtain their clinical licensing.  This requires maintaining documentation of their supervision hours, clinical abilities, and any transference/countertransference issues that may arise.  Jessica previously was a caseworker at Lancaster Children and Youth Social Services conducting investigations of abuse and neglect.  Jessica has also worked at Lancaster Lebanon IU-13 and in wrap around services specializing in assisting children and adolescents with ID/DD in their school and home settings. While working with the Lancaster-Lebanon IU-13, she completed her BA in Psychology from Millersville University.  Jessica has also completed her masters in Clinical Social Work from Widener University.  She completed her dissertation obtaining her PhD through Widener University’s Human Sexuality Program.  The focus of her dissertation is addressing the sexuality needs for individuals with ID/DD through an exploratory qualitative study interviewing the individuals directly on what they feel their needs may be. 

Although her focus has been primarily with children and adolescents, Jessica is very dedicated to ensuring all individuals throughout various part of their developmental stages are successful in having all their needs met.  Another personal and professional passion has been working within our LGBTQ+ population, including gender identity related issues.  This has been done by providing direct services (therapeutic services/volunteering), along with educating other professionals on how to create safe environments therapeutically, and by providing appropriate supportive networks so desperately needed.  Jessica has attended many trainings regarding trauma work, including an intensive trauma certification training.  She has worked with individuals with various forms of trauma, including attachment issues, persistent neglect, and abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual).

 Workshop Description:

Although many clinicians have been trained on how to treat trauma on some level, sometimes we find ourselves struggling with real world issues that are compounding the symptoms related to trauma.  There are also different forms of trauma that need to be examined and the clinician needs to be cognizant of when working with our clients, due to their triggering aspects.  Details provided by our clients can leave us feeling overwhelmed on how to be effective and what to address immediately, concurrently, or later, if needed.  This workshop will hopefully provide a thoughtful, realistic, and cohesive way to feel more confident in tackling the dynamics of trauma and compounding factors with our clients.   I will incorporate concepts from various trauma certification trainings, evidenced-based treatment and supporting research, and my own professional experience.  A three-stage model of trauma recovery with relation to different domains of our lives will be presented as a conceptualization of trauma and the interventions to utilize.  Clinicians also need to consider their own histories and how they may translate into the therapeutic setting.  Trauma history is very personal to everyone who experiences it at any point in their lives and to be integrative in our approach to customize treatment in a safe, skillful manner is important for healing to occur.  This workshop will be interactive and allow time for participants to discuss their own clinical experiences and address potential questions that may arise.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Examine the nature of traumatic stress on the brain and behavior of an individual for clinical perspective and to provide psycho-education to the client (normalization).
2. Discuss comorbidity of traumatic stress and its symptoms with other diagnoses to understand how to implement interventions that assist all potential issues the client may be struggling with.
3. Examine the clinician’s personal dynamics and histories that may need to be addressed to ensure trauma work is safe for all involved
4. How to utilize the three stages of trauma recovery to provide trauma interventions in a thoughtful and person-centered manner with relation to different domains of their lives
5. While implementing the three stages, assess and evaluate the appropriate strategies to help clients stabilize overall, potentially process their trauma, and prevent future safety issues and trauma triggers
6. Analyze how to resolve any disconnect that may occur between evidence-based treatments and the real lives of our clients
7. Examine how to create a treatment plan that incorporates individualized goals for your client’s trauma work and to build resiliency in your clients to facilitate meaningful recovery (sustainable resiliency)

Motivational Interviewing

Presenter: Marilyn G. Stein, MEd; MGS Consulting, LLC

Marilyn was born and raised in Cooperstown New York. After graduating from Millersville University she worked as a Parole Officer in Lancaster County for 23 years.  During that tenure she earned a MEd from Penn State University in Training and Development.  She is a Certified Allied Addiction Practitioner, (CAAP), certified CRN evaluator, Alcohol Highway Safety School Instructor and Certified TREM Trainer (Trauma, Recovery and Empowerment Model)

Marilyn retired from Probation in 2002 and began MGS Consulting, LLC, a training and consulting business. In that role she trains extensively in PA and nationally on topics that include Addiction, Ethics, Motivational Interviewing and the Spirituality of Recovery.

She facilitates a Domestic Violence Batterers Intervention Group for the Lancaster County Courts, teaches an Addiction Course for the Millersville University Social Work Department and is on the PA Certification Board of Directors.

Workshop Description:

Motivational Interviewing has been shown to be an effective method for being with clients.  The skills and techniques offered with MI maximize the opportunity for change even when the client is not sure that change is possible.  This workshop will introduce the spirit and core skills of MI to professionals in the field of pro-social change. It will explain the collaborative approach that helps clients reduce ambivalence and overcome the barriers that prevent making lasting changes. Finally, it will provide an opportunity to practice these skills and gain proficiency.

Workshop Objectives: 

1. Understand the spirit and principles of Motivational Interviewing.
2. Identify change talk.
3. Learn the evidenced based science of behavioral change.
4. Learn and practice “OARS” the core skills of MI.
5. Practice using the core skills.

 Through: Discussion, Exercises, Lecture, and Live Practice

SBIRT

Presenter: Marc Felizzi, Phd, MSW; Associate Professor and MSW Coordinator

Dr. Marc Felizzi earned his Master’s in Social Work at Delaware State University and his PhD in Social Work at Widener University.  He has spent the last 25 years studying the effects of family violence, juvenile violence, and the consequences of family instability on youth. Dr. Felizzi has written extensively on these topics, and his findings and opinions have appeared in local and national publications. He has been interviewed on a number of national radio and television shows regarding juvenile violence. Dr. Felizzi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work where he teaches Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Family Violence, Social Work Practice, and Youth Violence and Corrections. He also teaches classes in conjunction with the Master of Science in Emergency Management program in Emergency Mental Health and Trauma. Dr. Felizzi is active on a number of community boards, including the Lancaster County Behavioral Health and Disability Services, the New Castle County Interagency Council, and the Newark, DE, Interagency Council. He is also a member of the Delaware chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, where he works with the Ethical Practice committee Dr. Felizzi also has a thriving clinical practice in Wilmington, DE where he works with children, adolescents, and their families. He is a member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers and a local board member of the National Association for Mental Health.

Workshop Description:

The primary goal of SBIRT is to identify and effectively intervene with those who are at moderate or high risk for psycho- social or health care problems related to their substance use. This training is relevant to the Social Work Profession, as it will present new sources of knowledge and practice skills, as they relate to substance abuse screening and intervention. This is in line with the social work value of competence, in that participants will learn the latest evidence based interventions for working with substance using and abusing clients, as well as clients who have potentially overdosed on opioids.

Workshop Objectives:

1. To educate professionals in the mental health, medical, nursing or academic professions of the screening for potential alcohol or drug abuse issues.
2. To that end, the training will orient attendees to the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Model (SBIRT)
3. To present to participants the basics of SBIRT, and Motivational Interviewing, a component of SBIRT.
4. Participants will also practice SBIRT skills during the training.
5. To learn about the usages and administration of Narcan to counteract the effects of opioid overdose.

Through: Lecture/presentation; Group Exercise; Role plays

Alternative and Expressive Therapies

Presenter: Karen Rice, PhD, LSW, ACSW; Associate Professor/Department Chair

Dr. Rice obtained her MSW from Temple University in 2000 and her PhD in 2011 from the University of Maryland Baltimore. She serves as the Chair of the School of Social Work at Millersville University of PA. Dr. Rice has been with Millersville University since 2006.  She teaches research, statistics, diversity, and international social work to students across all three levels (BSW, MSW, DSW) of social work education.  Utilizing a social justice and human rights framework, her research centers on ways to enhance individuals' (youth, students, adults) levels of compassion, advocacy, and dialogue across and within various social groups.  Trained in Intergroup Dialogue, Dr. Rice conducts trainings and co-facilitates dialogues to raise awareness, foster understanding and appreciation, build alliances, and develop individual and collective efforts to promote positive social change. Additionally, her ongoing research and practice centers around the promotion of social and economic justice, particularly with youth and those who experienced trauma, domestically and internationally, to ensure equal access to resources. Whenever possible, she employs expressive arts, in which she holds a certificate, to examine and explore these issues as well as to raise awareness, impart knowledge, and promote positive social change.

Workshop Description:

Expressive arts therapy is an approach favored when working with individuals who experienced trauma.   Utilizing a variety of creative modalities to regenerate the part of the brain that was affected by trauma, expressive arts therapy enhances individuals’ well-being as well as creates a foundation for post-traumatic growth.  Within this session, participants will be exposed to various expressive arts modalities and practice ways to implement them within own practice.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Become familiar with the various expressive arts modalities
2. Understand benefit of utilizing expressive arts across all levels of practice
3. Explore ways to implement expressive arts within own practice

Humanistic-Existential Therapies

Presenter: Andrew Bland, PhD.

Andrew Bland is a member of the graduate clinical psychology faculty at Millersville University.  He received a master’s degree from the University of West Georgia’s humanistic-existential-transpersonal psychology program in 2003 and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Indiana State University in 2013.  He is a licensed psychologist; since 2004, he has provided therapeutic services in a variety of settings in four states, currently at Samaritan Counseling Center in Lancaster, PA.  His research interests include the practical application of themes from contemporary existential-humanistic psychology in the domains of love, work, social justice, the processes of therapy and education, creativity, eco-psycho-spirituality, and human development.  

Workshop Description:

This workshop will provide didactic overviews of and experiential exercises in contemporary humanistic-existential therapy modalities.  Assumptions about the principles and process of effective therapy (including the role of the therapeutic relationship as a vehicle for sustainable change) will be reviewed, and strategies for treatment planning and specific interventions (and the contexts in which they are most appropriate) will be modeled, discussed, and practiced.  

Workshop Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify and describe core principles and theoretical assumptions of contemporary humanistic-existential therapies.
2. Participants will be able to articulate (a) how the therapeutic relationship serves as a vehicle for sustainable change and (b) the value of a process-oriented approach to conceptualizing client cases and the change trajectory.
3. Participants will develop a foundation for and practice skills in treatment planning and in specific evidence-based interventions from a humanistic-existential perspective. 
4. Participants will be able to discern the populations for whom and/or the contexts in which these modalities are most fitting.